Katherine Allen

Originally hailing from Chicago, Katie Allen has begun to establish herself in the Bay Area. Katie is the Concertmaster of Symphony Parnassus and holds section positions in the California Symphony and Santa Rosa Symphony. Among these ensembles you can find Katie playing with many Bay Area orchestras, such as Berkeley Symphony and Modesto Symphony.

Allen began playing the violin at the age of six, studying primarily with Ayako Kikuchi. In 2015, she started her undergraduate degree at DePauw University under the tutelage of Tarn Travers. During her four years she was a part of The Asbury String Quartet, a full-scholarship chamber music program, where she worked with artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Decoda, and A Far Cry. Allen moved to the Bay Area and began her Master’s degree at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 2020, where she studied with San Francisco Ballet Concertmaster, Cordula Merks. During her time at SFCM, Allen served as Concertmaster for the opera and symphony and was also selected for masterclasses with Grammy Award-winning Hilary Hahn and San Francisco Symphony Concertmaster, Alexander Barantschik.

Outside of music, Allen enjoys cooking, running through Golden Gate Park, and spending time with her boyfriend, Michael and cat, Nemo.